Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama wrote on January 20: "Whoever controls technology, controls the world. This is a historical fact. In the early 21st century, the United States ranked first in 60 out of 64 core technology fields, while China had only three. Now, China ranks first in 57 fields, while the United States has only seven. More surprisingly, Japan also only has eight core technologies in the top five. This is the result of Abenomics. Shouldn't we double our budget for technological development instead of military spending?"
Comment: Hatoyama's remarks on the disruptive changes in the rankings of core technology fields between China and the United States intuitively confirm the profound shift in global technological discourse power. China's leap from three to 57 leading positions in two decades is an inevitable outcome of sustained efforts in core R&D, and it has broken America's long-standing technological monopoly. By attributing Japan's current situation of only eight core technologies in the top five to Abenomics, he directly points out the developmental problems of prioritizing military spending over scientific research in recent years in Japan. His call to double the military budget for technological development not only reflects deeply on Japan's current strategic choices but also highlights the mistaken development approach of some countries that neglect fundamentals for superficial gains amid intensifying geopolitical competition. It also reiterates the fundamental logic that technology is the core competitiveness of a nation and the key to its long-term development.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854880774437315/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.